Geotechnical inspection and technical review of Santa Margarita River Marine Corps Air Station Levee, U.S. Marine Corps, Camp Pendleton, CA, 19-20 November 2019

This report describes activities performed, results obtained, and conclusions made from an independent technical review of past levee inspections and the proposed remediation plan for the Santa Margarita Levee that surrounds the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Camp Pendleton. In support of the technical review, ERDC personnel performed a supplemental levee inspection on 19 and 20 November 2019 with MCAS personnel. Previous levee inspections had rated the levee system as Unacceptable due to unwanted vegetation encroaching on the levee right-of-way, which prevents full inspection during flooding. Concerns were raised by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife (USFW) about environmental impacts of the proposed remediation measures and the necessity of such actions. USFW personnel requested an engineering review from an independent party, and ERDC was tasked with performing the independent technical review. The following special report describes the tasks performed and results obtained from the independent technical review.

Optimization of Energy Consumption in the Process of Dehumidification of Natural Gas

In recent years, there has been a great tendency to optimize energy consumption in the oil and gas industry’s upstream and downstream equipment. One of the most energy-intensive processes in natural gas refineries is the condensate stabilization unit (gas condensate). The main bottlenecks of energy consumption in the old units are condensated stabilization (dehumidification with ethylene glycol), heater reboiler, and air coolers (air coolers). Therefore, much attention should be paid to these applications and electricity and steam consumption in this unit. In this study, a simulated model based on the Gachsaran gas refinery’s new layout has been developed. Optimization of this part of the existing process is preheating the inlet flow to the reboiler by adding a two-stage shell-tube heat exchanger. This reduces the amount of steam needed to evaporate the inlet stream to the end of the tower. On the other hand, by pre-cooling the inlet currents to the air conditioners, the amount of electricity consumed to reach the outlet flows’ the desired temperature would be reduced. The results show an attractive return on investment for the remediation plan, a reduction in energy demand, and an increase in the unit’s productivity.

TRANSFORMATION OF ANTI-CRISIS MANAGEMENT OF ENTERPRISES IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CODE OF UKRAINE ON BANKRUPTCY PROCEDURES

Anti-crisis management of Ukrainian enterprises takes place in difficult institutional conditions, which is confirmed by international experts and analytical studies of the World Bank Group. It is determined that Ukraine’s indicators are several times lower than those indicators in OECD high-income countries and European countries (Doing Business 2020). The purpose of the study is to substantiate the theoretical and methodological foundations of crisis management and develop practical recommendations for the transformation of crisis management in accordance with the provisions of the Code of Ukraine on bankruptcy procedures. Approaches to the selection of types of crisis management are generalized. The types of crisis management that have been transformed under the influence of the Code of Ukraine on bankruptcy procedures are identified. The Code of Ukraine on bankruptcy procedures defines the features of anti-crisis management of the enterprise in the event of a crisis. Thus, changes in current legislation lead to the need to transform crisis management and take into account changes in the basic provisions of the legal support of business. The Code of Ukraine on bankruptcy procedures determines the possibility of reorganization before the opening of bankruptcy proceedings and court proceedings (disposal of property, reorganization and liquidation). The Law of Ukraine “On restoring the debtor’s solvency or declaring him bankrupt” and the Code of Ukraine on bankruptcy procedures are generalized and the existence of changes in the current legislation that produce a change in anti-crisis management of the enterprise is determined. The process of reorganization requires special attention and study before the opening of bankruptcy proceedings, when the management of the enterprise is obliged to: inform the founders about the presence of signs of bankruptcy; to hold a meeting of the founders and ensure the decision on reorganization; develop a remediation plan and liquidation analysis; convene a meeting of creditors and also submit to the commercial court the approved reorganization plan for approval. The scheme of sequence of carrying out of reorganization before opening of proceedings in bankruptcy case is constructed.

Moisture and soil strength monitoring of a railway embankment remediated with wicking geotextile

A 45 m section of a railway embankment located at Fort Saskatchewan County in Alberta, Canada, was remediated as a part of the Canadian Pacific Railway’s (CP) Grade Stabilization/Remediation Plan. The embankment materials were replaced while a 4.6 m wide reinforcing geotextile (Mirafi® RS580i) and a 7.3 m wide wicking geotextile (Mirafi® H2Ri) were installed in the ballast and sub-ballast interface and between the subgrade and sub-ballast, respectively, aiming to address issues such as poor drainage and moisture retention. The studied site consists of an instrumented track including a remediated and an adjacent control section that provided the opportunity to measure volumetric water content (VWC) within the sub-ballast and clayey subgrade at both configurations. The VWC variation with seasonal weather change is continuously monitored by nine moisture sensors, and an antecedent precipitation index (API) model was developed to evaluate the influence of precipitation events on the VWC in both sections and to interpret the impact of the in situ VWC on the unsaturated strength of the soil according to the soil-water characteristic curve (SWCC) results. An initial evaluation of the moisture-suction relationship has shown that the subgrade soil strength is improving within the remediated section; nonetheless, these trends are anticipated to be more consistent with long-term observation.